Smaller beauty gifts and/or stocking filler inspiration?..You’ve hit up the right post. Whether it is a small gesture present, a gift for a last-minute christmas day straggler or something to add on to a bigger haul, stocking fillers in my opinion can be the best….for both buying and receiving.
Let’s start with the makeup bits : How cute are these mini Zoeva Voyager palettes? They are slimline versions of the bigger palettes and contain 6 mini shadows in one small compact for a snip at £12. They do lots of colour combinations and I love the Voyager Matte Eyeshadow palette for ALL the warm tones. Zoeva also do brushes really well. It’s the first thing I ever tried from them and they continue to bring out amazing makeup brushes & sets. A budget friendly set is the beautifully packaged Voyager Travel Brush Set (£22) which has 4 mini’s : a brow /liner , concealer /cream, blending & shader brush.
The Urban Decay All nighter Setting Spray (£10) comes in a portable 30ml size which is perfect for a stocking filler and add-on gift. Every makeup junkie loves this setting spray and it’ll help that slap stay on all night. Another accompanying product you can get to help makeup stay looking fresh are the DHC Blotting Papers (£4.50) which are a makeup artist’s best kept secret for keeping the skin looking fresh and shine-free under bright lights and HD cameras.
In winter, and in particular, during these cold spells, lips can start to become dry, chapped and peeling ; not a good look for when trying to wear that on-trend berry lip colour : step in the Barry M Lip Scrub (£4.99) which is a perfect lip prep to soften and slough of the dead skin. Another pouty lip prep comes in the form of the Patchology Flashpatch Hydrating Lip Gels (£14 for 5). These are hard-working lip patches that can be used for 5 minutes before makeup application to plump, smooth and hydrate the lips.
The original and the BEST glow tonic is still the PIXI Glow Tonic and they do this and all of their tonics in weeny, travel-sizes starting at just £5 so perfect for little stocking fillers to brighten up someone’s Christmas morning and face…..eurgh sorry had to be done. CND are all things nails and do great colours, long wear polishes and what I love the most : their nail treatments…they are AMAZING. The CND RidgeFX (£4.95) is the best treatment I have tried for making your not-so-great-nails look instantly smoother, brighter and healthier and they also treat them over time so perfect when you are resting your claws in between gels. Speaking of nails, and if you can’t go without the talons for too long, then Elegant Touch have really upped their game this year and have launched so many amazing styles and colours. Gone are the days of boring, one-shaped stick-ons : no one will even know you are faking it! My faves are the Chrome 2.0 Blossom Bae (£9.95) which are a bit girly, a bit holographic and the shape is coffin (!). Plus : these bad boys stay on for up to 10 days if you are more careful than myself.
I gushed about MOR, the beautiful bath & body range on my lifestyle gift idea post (obviously go and read that immediately) as they do the prettiest packaging and such a great selection of scents and sizes. The Little Luxuries tins of soap (£6) are something I have been buying for SO many years as little gifts as they are super cute and I just love the re-useable tins! Heyland & Whittle are another lifestyle / scent brand that I always talk about and their Scented Room Sachets (£3.99) are perfect for a stocking filler for those who love home scents, candles and everything in between : they probably won’t have something like this. You can hang these or put them anywhere (drawers, cupboards, doorknobs, even in the car!) to give a beautiful fresh scent where they may not once have been.
And Breathe. There we have it, stocking fillers for the beauty lovers and for all under the £20 mark. I hope your last-minute shopping trips aren’t too stressful whether online or in ‘real life’… I’m off to start my shopping today as I always leave it last minute….pray for my soul.
